International students with startups face visa difficulties

By YUEHAN LIU
Capital News Service
LANSING—International students face daunting challenges starting a business. But as more and more international students enroll at Michigan universities, more and more keep trying to open businesses in the state. And the Small Business Association encourages their idea. For example, Grand Valley State University has 400, Western Michigan University has more than 1,800, and Michigan State University has more than 7,000 international students. Yue Dai, one of the founders of Mr. Pot, a Chinese hot pot restaurant in East Lansing, says a simple idea made him want to start the business: “When I open up ‘Student Info’ and I see the price of my tuition, I feel ashamed to be the person that only knows to ask for money from my family.”
“I want to use what I’ve learned, to earn my own living,” Dai said.